Here's a question, and obviously not on the stupid questions list, and one that I can never get a good answer from a v-head: If animals eat other animals, why are humans supposed to be different? Because we have a conscience and have the ability to feel guilty? Here's some Biology 101 for you professor: Humans are the top of the food chain. Our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. Our bodies were primarily built to depend on animal protein. When animal proteins were unavailable, fruits and vegetables and grains were gathered so that we could survive. We have teeth that were meant for piercing and shredding meat. Most other vitamins and minerals that our body needs are most easily food in animal proteins. And finally, if we weren't supposed to eat meat, then why does it taste so damn good? :)
-Casey
Casey,
Although I did not address any of your specific questions in my “Ten Stupid Questions Vegans Get Asked,” they are all arguments that are commonly used in an attempt to debunk veganism. Fortunately, they do not succeed. I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “v-head,” but most vegans are completely capable of responding to your concerns as they are likely used to refuting them. I’ll will though, give you my personal responses to your questions.
When animals eat other animals, they are doing so out of survival. They need to do it. Animals have no alternative. In today’s world, humans do not need to eat animals to survive. Us humans have the knowledge and resources to provide ourselves with the things we really need to sustain our bodies- fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes. The nutrients we need to thrive are plant-based.
When a lion catches a gazelle in the wild, the gazelle lived it’s life completely at it’s own free will in the wild. Lions do not raise gazelles on farms, but they actually hunt them down on their own. There are very few people in our world today who hunt and consume the animals that they eat. For this reason, when you make the argument that “animals eat other animals,” it really has very little correlation with the way humans eat animals. We confine and exploit them every second of every day up until slaughter, when we ship them off to people who aren’t willing to kill for themselves. This is likely because, as you pointed out, “we have a conscience.”
I’d disagree with you that humans are at the top of the food chain. We may have succeeded in secluding ourselves far enough from nature not to have to worry about attack from other animals that are higher on the food chain than we are, but I assure you that a human has little natural defense against a bear or a shark. Therefore, they are certainly ahead of us on the natural food chain.
Our bodies may be able to process animal proteins, but as science points out, it’s certainly not a healthful way to attain our nutrients. Animal proteins are likely the source of many types of cancers and other chronic diseases. We can attain every essential nutrient from plant sources that actually benefit our health status immensely.
Humans did not rely mostly on animal protein to survive. If you think logically about this, it would take a lot more of our energy and resources to provide ourselves with flesh foods as opposed to plant foods, especially before we created the tools to effectively exploit other species. Our teeth are largely wide and flat. Think about our mouths compared to that of a wild cat. Cats have adapted to survive strictly on flesh with their long, sharp, dagger-like teeth, but humans did not. In fact, we only have a total of four teeth that shaped for “piercing and shredding,” which are very helpful in consuming fibrous plants.
As for the taste, that is only a product of your continued exposure to a certain item, which is likely the reason most people make such a fuss about changing their diets. It’s a habit like any other. I’m sure human flesh is just as tasty as any other animal flesh. In many countries, dogs and cats are consumed. They are likely tasty to those people, yet in this country we find it appalling.
In conclusion, it’s just not necessary for humans to consume animals proteins and it’s actually much more efficient and merciful to attain our foods from plants. If you’re worried about plants, the truth is that takes roughly ten pounds of grain to produce one pound of animal flesh. Therefore, you kill less plants by consuming them directly. It also happens to be better for our health, the environment, and animals!
-Ed
For more info: Why Vegan?
Comments
All in all a good refutation of Casey's email, except for the free will of the gazelle argument, which is highly problematic.
A domestic cow, while it is still on the range (before it gets trucked off to the hell of a CAFO at about 18 months or so) possesses the opportunity to exercise free will. It can do as it pleases. If it is destined to be range-fed beef, it will stay out on its own until captured and slaughtered by humans.
This is not logically different than a lion hunting a gazelle. The argument about humans not needing to kill that cow to survive is a much stronger argument. Best to leave the free will part out.
I just noticed how pompous first comment sounded. Sorry. My point was to avoid providing any opening for the rationalization of modern meat eating.
@TM
I completely understand the point you're making. You are right, it's not just the free will, but also the ability to not be exploited at the same time.
I would go as far as to say that no matter how "free-range" they are, they still aren't 100% at their own free will so long as they are being exploited.
As long as they're being slaughtered in the end, they really don't have a choice as to how they live their lives because they would obviously resist death if given the chance. They have no chance. They cannot escape.
sooo... i don't understand the "exploited animal" thing.
is a dog that serves as a seeing eye animal, a dog that is well feed/cared for/loved, and then put to sleep at the end of his/her life exploited?
what is the role of an animal? are pets okay? are they not supposed to play a role in our society at all? we domesticated animals to serve a purpose in our society, was that wrong?
i guess what i don't understand about vegans is what they think animals are for. i mean, i think everyone earns its keep. like on a farm. horses work, chickens give eggs, dogs herd and protect.
For every animal you don't eat, I'm gunna eat three.
Sara -
Vegans are concerned because animals are exploited for unnecessary commercial products. The fact is that we can live healthfully and abundantly without consuming any animal products.
You can't compare seeing eye dogs and dogs as pets to animals exploited for food or clothing products. Dogs in these cases are usually seen as more than property - a beloved member of a family, like a child. Do you consider it "exploiting" your children because you force them to live under your care until they're adults? Vegans are divided on the issue of seeing eye dogs, but at least the dog is performing a very noble service that GREATLY helps a person and GREATLY enriches his or her quality of life for many years. Farm animals are usually treated terribly, kept in awful conditions, and killed in pain and dread just so someone can have a momentary gustatory pleasure that's not even healthy - like a burger or a sausage.....to be continued
As to your question - "why are animals here?" Let me ask you why are you here? Why am I here? Why is anyone here? Wouldn't it be best if we all let each other (including our fellow earthlings) decide the peaceful course of his or her own life?....
Also, chickens don't "give" eggs as much as you don't "give" eggs to anyone when you ovulate. They are your eggs, not anyone else's. Eggs are just part of a chicken's menstrual cycle. Not all dogs herd and protect. What about chihuahuas? Should we find them another purpose - kill them for meat perhaps? Horses only work because we've forced them to and BROKEN their spirits into being terrified to do anything but what we tell them.
It's almost as if you're saying if something doesn't have a clear purpose for human benefit, then we need to give them one no matter how much it infringes on their right to live life as they want.
What would you say about a severely mentally handicapped human who can't do much of anything and has no
living family? What is that person here for? They can't work a job and contribute to society. They don't have a family to make happy. In fact, they're probably a drain on society because tax dollars have to support them. But why do we allow them to live in society and still support them? Because life is valued by many as sacred. And vegans extend that reverence for life that most humans have for each other to include animals as well. Humans are animals anyway, so why shouldn't we include them?
Believe it or not, people used to say, what good are black people for other than to pick cotton as slaves? It's the view that we can define another sentient, feeling being's life that gets us into trouble.
I hope this answered your questions.
To "carnivore"
For every triple bypass you need, I'll need none.
'When a lion catches a gazelle in the wild, the gazelle lived it’s life completely at it’s own free will in the wild. Lions do not raise gazelles on farms, but they actually hunt them down on their own...'
So you are okay with hunting?
Lindsey, Your smart-ass comment duly noted! How many omnivores require triple by-pass as opposed to vegans? Just the facts, ma'am...!
Carnivores don't raise livestock.
But herbivores don't cultivate crops of vegetables.
I'm aware of the specious arguments put forward by vegans. British farmers aren't allowed to raise animals in the conditions mentioned by lindsey, I quote " Farm animals are usually treated terribly, kept in awful conditions, and killed in pain and dread ". If they did, they'd be prosecuted and fined or put in prison.
Which country allows its animals to live like this? Remind me not to go there.
I've heard that dairy cattle are unhappy creatures, forced to have huge distended udders etc etc. I had two children and breast-fed them both. I had huge distended breasts, it was slightly uncomfortable, until I fed the baby. I had mild mastitis and was treated for it immediately, in the same way that I saw my grandad treat his cows with the same problem, a warm poultice, a day/night inside being cared for, and gentlyhand-milked (obviously changed, I didn't spend a day out in the barn!!) I learnt that you naturally produce the amount of milk the baby needs, so do cows, except their 'baby' is the milking machine, which they see two or threee times a day.
As a child I lived on a dairy farm, and our cows were very happy, we had about 200 of them. If they were ill, they were treated, and their milk was deemed contaminated (medicines not allowed into the food chain) and thrown away, so we kept them healthy and happy. They were out in the fields most of the time, coming in to be milked twice a day, for which the lead cow (Bertha) would start the walk down to the gate. Their hierarchy caused them much more grief than our care of them. Happy cows produce more milk than unhappy ones. Don't try and tell me they're kept in terrible conditions, that's so much bull-sh1t, the farmer would be out of business in no time.
I grew up on a dairy and beef farm in Kansas, USA. I love my family and the local farmers (and I sincerely support the farming of crops), but I have to act as an honest witness that I observed terrible atrocities towards animals on our small, family farm - and this is routine treatment, even in our very religious Mennonite community! I find this really ironic. It is extremely cruel to separate the newborn calves from their mothers just so we can rob them of milk (which most people can't properly digest anyway). The mothers and babies cry for each other day after day until their voices are raw; it is an absolutely haunting sound. These calves should be out running and playing together (as they do normally); instead they are confined to small boxes. I don't think you can compare breastfeeding your children in relation to the experience of the mother cow, as you weren't forced to be repeatedly impregnated, your life span wasn't cut dramatically short from this wear and tear on your body, and you were never separated from your children. I hope that you can use your maternal instinct to tap into your compassion. Switching to a vegetarian/vegan diet is such a profound way to vote for compassion every time you eat: compassion to animals, to your own health, towards the environment, and to all the starving people in the world who could and should be eating the precious grains we are overstuffing cattle with!
Well done, Ed. Solid points for a vegan victory on that one. x
I second that. I used to work on an organic dairy farm, and these so-called humane measures amount to rationalized abuse. Going veg not only makes you feel good physically, but you have the knowledge that you are doing something good for yourself and literally the whole world every day through this choice.
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